The Souks

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Souks have been called "the heart of urban Arabia", and Dubai has a good selection of them. It's thrilling to browse through Dubai's famous souks. The bustling atmosphere and traditional style of doing business by negotiating, keeps shoppers on their toes throughout the whole shopping experience. These range from the traditional, dusty alleyways of the spice souk, a stone's throw from the Creek, to the most famous market of all - the Gold Souk.

Gold Souk

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A trip down to the Gold Souk will demonstrate why Dubai has also earned itself the reputation as the 'City Of Gold'. The sheer scale and variety of gold on offer (at marked down prices) will impress even the most seasoned gold trader.

Prices are very reasonable and largely determined by weight, rather than design and craftsmanship. This souk is worth a visit even if you have no intention of buying, just to soak in the atmosphere of the bold affluence of this part of the world.

This souq is aggressively promoted during the Dubai Shopping Festival and Dubai Summer Surprises, which both rocket gold sales into orbit.

All that glitters is gold: gold is sold often on weight over design

More than 300 jewelleries situated one after the other are waiting for their visitors. Brilliants, emeralds, sapphires, bracelets, watches, earrings, rings, necklaces,bracelets and pendants - everything the heart of a jewellery lover desires - glitter in the nicely illuminated show-cases. Designs can be traditional or modern, bold or conservative, chunky or delicate if you have it in mind then its definitely on display. To entice you further, many different shades of gold are also available. Craftsmen can alter the composition of alloys in the gold to create pink, white, yellow or green hues in one piece. The assortment seems to be endless. Jewels in 18 carat or 21 carat gold and treated in the most precious way are acquired by their new owners. There is no doubt that prices are cheaper than in most places all over the world. 20 - 60 % savings compared to the purchase of gold in Germany are nothing extraordinary.

The wider the choice, the greater the trouble. Mostly, one does not know which shop to enter first.

While purchasing gold don't forget that there is always room to bargain so don't accept the first price and be sure to shop around. Also prices vary depending on whether the piece was made by a machine or a craftsman. Take your time and plan 2 to 3 hours for your visit. The best time is the late afternoon. Usually, the shops are open until 10:00 p.m. The initial unsureness in bargaining gets lost pretty quickly, and you will really enjoy "haggling" about your favourite piece.

The payment can be done with usual credit cards. However, we would recommend you to take cash with you (best in Dirhams). This will help you to "get hold" of a good many jewellery pieces at a still slightly lower price.

Almost all of the beach hotels offer a shuttle bus free of charge for your drive to the Gold Souk in the afternoon. Of course, the bus driver will bring you back to the beach hotel where you are staying at a fix time.